Russell Westbrook blasts ‘this s*** is getting out of hand’ after having popcorn thrown on him by a Philadelphia 76ers fan during Washington Wizards NBA defeat

In a lacklustre contest, which saw the Philadelphia 76ers cruise to a dominant 120-95 win over the Washington Wizards, it was the actions of an over-zealous fan that seized national attention.

Russell Westbrook struggled with his ankle all night, rolling it twice, on the way to just 10 points (making two out 10 field goals attempts) before finally retiring from the game early in the fourth quarter.

As the Wizards point guard was heading to the locker room, a 76ers season-ticket-holder dumped a bucket of popcorn over him, before fleeing the scene.

Russell Westbrook understandably unhappy

The former MVP is no stranger to fan confrontations, as back in March 2019 he had a notable encounter with a fan that allegedly racially taunted him in Utah. 

‘This s*** is getting out of hand, especially for me. The amount of disrespect, the amount of fans just doing whatever the f*** they want to do. It’s just out of pocket, man.’

Westbrook, among others across the league, also expressed the need for the NBA to better support the players in these incidents.

‘Wouldn’t come up to me on the street and throw popcorn on my head, because you know what happens… In these arenas, you gotta start protecting the players. We’ll see what the NBA does.’

Trae Young is spat on by an New York Knicks fan

A fan encounter also took place in similar fashion over in Madison Square Garden, New York.

Following the Hawks-Knicks clash footage surfaced on the internet of Atlanta star Trae Young being spat on by a fan sitting courtside.

The NBA have now issued a statement on the fan behaviour: ‘The return of more NBA fans to our arenas has brought great excitement and energy to the start of the play-offs, but it is critical that we all show respect for the players, officials and our fellow fans. An enhanced fan code of conduct will be vigorously enforced in order to ensure a safe and respectful environment for all involved.’

Both fans have been indefinitely banned from Wells Fargo Center and Madison Square Garden, respectively.

By Josh Musoke